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As the last tremors smoothed into peacefulness, Gabriel rose over her and pulled her into his ar a thigh over one of his Her li sleep, and for once her mind was utterly focused, without the distraction of tooher ear as he whispered so, the same feords over and over, until Pandora stirred and ainst her cheek, and he lifted his head "I know"

What had he been whispering? Be with the light, glinting fur, feeling the armor of ribs and hard muscle beneath The flesh of his stoh and sinewy, the skin glea like polished ers inch tie of his aroused flesh strained against the black broadcloth Turning over her hand, she dared to curve her palainst the shaft, and followed it all the way down to the base and up again It was scary and exciting and unbelievable to be touching him like this His breath quickened, and an involuntary quiver chased across his stoers, the hard flesh seemed to possess its own pulses and responsive twitches She wanted to see this mysterious part of him She wanted to find out what it felt like The front of his trousers had been styled in the classic forn, a fall attached with two side rows of buttons Timidly her hand slid to the nearest row of buttons

His hand carazed her temple "Better not, sweet"

Pandora frowned "But it’s not fair for you to treat entle laugh filtered through her hair "We’ll take care ofover her, he took her lips with a brief, ardent kiss "Let me carry you to bed now," he whispered, "and tuck you in like a good little girl"

"Not yet," she protested "I want to stay here with you" The stor with the force of bronze pennies She snuggled htly into the warm crook of Gabriel’s arm "Besidesyou still haven’t answered the question I asked you at the archery grounds"

"What question?"

"You were going to tellabout yourself"

"God Do we have to discuss that now?"

"You said you wanted to talk about it in private I don’t knoe’ll have another chance"

Gabriel frowned and rehts that seein

"Does it have so to do with your ave her a narrowed glance, as if the question had taken him aback "So you’ve heard about that"

She nodded

He let out a controlled sigh "The devil knows I’ to harlotry or seducing innocents, and I’m not exactly suited for celibacy"

"I don’t think badly of you for it," Pandora hastened to assure hientlemen, and ladies must pretend not to know about it"